Shadow Fire
by RenegadeAudio
Summary: A twisting, turning, epic piece centering around Garet and his band of rebels...
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
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So here I was, 23, tired, and all of the other things a 23 year old should be. I didn't quite know where I was, as everything was dark....and I wasn't very comfortable. In fact, the space I was sitting in was only the size of a ventilation shaft in the large high-rises of Tolbi...but that's because it was. What was I doing? I was listening in on the ruler of New Tolbi discuss the future of Weyard with Babi, ruler of Old Tolbi. But my mission was spying. I couldn't make a noise, not even the smallest wheeze.  
  
They couldn't see me, I could see them. They were definitely plotting something, with the maps of Weyard strewn about on the table so. Various towns were encircled in red ink, and the leaders would stare at one another at points in their conversations...  
  
Had I been caught? I thought so for a moment, but then, my saving grace, the secretary, entered the room and called both leaders to the other room. I had to escape from this shaft...but without making a noise. That meant no Psynergy, no Djinn, just stealth at its finest. But how would I go about something like that, with the leaders of the two largest cities in Gondowan so close? I'd be imprisoned for sure...  
  
So somehow, miraculously, I managed to crawl to the end to the end of this shaft, to where the large exhaust fan whirred. I'd never make it out alive it I went that way... So I lay on my back and unscrewed the maintenance vent...and crawled out through the top of the building. The view from sixty stories up was spectacular. Gleams of golden sunlight could be seen for miles, the lighthouses were prominent even in broad daylight. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, and called my headquarters, in the town of Sumera, near my hometown. My grandfather established it, and left me to use it as I pleased. I enlisted in a local spy organization, to protect Weyard from any environmental harm...  
  
And that's why I am now on top of the largest building in Tolbi, the presidential mansion complex. What to do? I walked to the edge, looked down, and jumped...and landed on the wing of my airship, the Shadow Fire. I climbed into the (pie)pit, and flew skyward. My radio transmission began to ring, so I turned it on. The warm voice of Jenna came over the waves, and she began to inform me of my next mission. I promptly snapped, as I had just finished a third consecutive mission without sleeping for 36 hours. She was taken aback, and then ... the line went dead. I flew on towards Sumera...and saw dark smoke clouds on the horizon. At that moment, I stopped flying (enabling Hover) and gaped at the awful sight. My town...my beloved town...was on fire... all because of our spy organization... 


	2. Chapter 1

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SHADOW FIRE  
  
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Chapter One: Burning of Sumera  
  
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My fears escalated into a grim reality. From a precipice above Sumera, I saw my once beautiful town falling to ruin...all because of our work...our mission. Did I deserve to lose it all for this? Those Tolbi cowards...I swear it...  
  
I climbed down the cliff slowly, and fought back the urge to let myself fall. I mean, was it worth seeing my family dead? Was it worth never seeing Jenna's face again? These thoughts brought me close to tears. I knew I had to go on. Sumera might hold some survivors... And I prayed that this'd be the case. As I descended, I finally touched down on solid ground. I ran towards Sumera, stumbled, and fell to my knees. I couldn't do a damn thing...not one damn thing. Unless...if Jenna was alive...I'd know. I felt her warmth in my heart, so I stood up...and ran to Sumera's gate. The bodies of the town's guards lay at the entrance. I was in shock...I bent down to remove one of the guards's helmet. Isaac...he was dead. So I was the last surviving Valean from the Golden Age...  
  
I blasted down the gate, and ran into the downtown area of Sumera. I could hear a voice calling me from the depths of one of the flaming buildings. I swear it...it was Jenna's voice. A voice so warm and sweet could not have been that easily forgotten. I broke down the door to enter the room where Jenna was sitting in the corner. She looked at me with cold, hazy eyes. She wouldn't make it, even if I carried her out. I was getting tired too...the smoke was taking it's toll. Jenna asked me to make a promise before she died...to never forget her, the mission, or Sumera. As tears crept to my eyes, I gave a dim smile and hugged her. Why me? Why would this happen to my beloved Jenna?  
  
She told me to go...and then she fell limp. I screamed for a few minutes before letting her go. I had to leave, or else I would die as well. I ran from the building, from my memories, from this whole old life...but my mission would remain forever. To stop the evil of Tolbi. To avenge my beloved Jenna. To avenge Sumera. And to never forget the smile Jenna gave me as she died.  
  
So where to go now? I supposed that I couldn't do this alone...so my adventure begins anew...I'm off to the town of Orimali, which is north of Vale. There, I will scout for new teammates...to save the world with. 


	3. Chapter 2

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Chapter Two: Light of Day  
  
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Sunrise over Sumera brought the group of travelers to a standstill. They looked at the devastation caused by the terrible inferno days before. Their names were Phil, a 20 year old Dark Adept from a southern town called Kirbia, Rita, a 19 year old Jupiter Adept from Orimali, and Jason, an 18 year old Earth Adept from New Vale. They had been scouted by a man named Garet to assist in bringing down the terror network of Tolbi. Jason just stood silently, looking at the smoldering rubble of Sumera. Rita was crying, as she had never seen this kind of evil in the world before. Phil was attempting to get the other two to move, so they could continue towards Orimali to rendezvous with Garet.  
  
As they traveled, they talked about what was to come next, from the long journey south, to the perils they'd face capturing both of the Tolbis. It was late, and the party decided it was time to set up camp for the night. Rita set up her and Phil's tent, and they both slept for the rest of the night. Jason could hear them laughing and talking. Jason sat on the edge of a large rock looking over the valley below. More laughing, an occasional giggle...Jason shook his head and laughed to himself.  
  
'Those two love each other very much, it seems. Such an unlikely duo, they are...Phil's a master of the Shadow Arts, and Rita's a Wind Master...never saw THAT coming. I guess opposites attract!' He said quietly to himself.  
  
By the time the moon had fully risen, both Phil and Rita were snuggled close in their tent, and Jason was still sitting on the rock, watching the moon. Oddly, he was fast asleep...  
  
~~~  
  
Another small group passed through near daybreak. It was comprised of just two Adepts. Michelle, a 21 year old Light Adept from Nuzei (on Hesperia), and David, a 20 year old Mercury Adept from Imil. They saw the campfire, and both knew that they had located the group of travelers. Both set up their tents, wished each other a short good night's sleep, and tucked in. Hearing this, Jason investigated. Sure enough, it was their new companions. Jason decided to wait for sunrise to alert the other Adepts of their arrival.  
  
When sunrise came, both groups got acquainted and set off. They reached a trader's post called Darawa by noon, and got themselves equipped with the newest equipment they could buy. Setting off again, they hiked over mountains, swam through rivers, and eventually came to the gates of Orimali. Garet was waiting at the main entrance, and allowed the group into the city's government building. 


	4. Chapter 3

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Chapter Three: Before the Council  
  
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"Why are you here today, Mr. Jerra?' the mayor of Orimali asked.  
  
'I have brought this group of Adepts with me today because of the Sumera tragedy. If you don't know what that is, you should read your newspaper more often.'  
  
'Of course I know what that was, Mr. Jerra! We all know that it was awful, but you can't dwell on the past...'  
  
'Shut up!' Garet said. 'That was my town, my friends, my family, my...Jenna! How dare you tell me not to dwell on the past! So what if it was Orimali that was burned and you were the only survivor?!'  
  
Rita entered the conversation. 'I know I'd feel horrible, mainly because this is my home. I may have left years ago, but my heart is still here. If the town was burned, I'd be devastated.'  
  
'Thank you, Ms. Rita, but I am speaking to Mr. Jerra...'  
  
'Put a sock in it, mayor.' Garet said angrily. 'Now all I ask of you, is to allow me to take my troop into Tolbi and execute a secret capture mission. If you do not comply, you are an enemy to us. Is that clear?'  
  
'Garet, please calm down...' Michelle begged.  
  
'I won't, Michelle...solely because this buffoon of a mayor will not comply to our demands.'  
  
'Buffoon? Hardly...' the mayor chortled. 'At least I wouldn't leave my town for a week unsupervised and come back to find it a steaming crater!'  
  
'You take that back!' Garet rushed at the mayor, but was held back by Jason and Phil. "I was only gone for TWO days, and there was someone left in charge! None other than my father, the retired mayor, had control over the town!'  
  
'Your father was a sniveling, cowardly, infantile man. He knew nothing on how to run a city. And that's why it's gone.'  
  
Garet broke free from Phil and Jason's restraint, and tackled the mayor.  
  
'How dare you! You damn fool! You speak ill of a dead man, and expect me to stay here and take it in? I don't care what you think!'  
  
Garet let loose with a powerful punch to the mayor's face. As blood trickled from the mayor's nose, a councilman snuck up behind Garet, and whacked him with a piece of pipe. Bruised and bleeding, Garet exploded with anger and hatred for this town. He knew it now. The only reason Orimali had ccepted him in was because they were under order of Tolbi. Suddenly, a blast of dark energy pulsed throughout the room. A large gust, followed by a massive wave of ice and earthen spikes, followed close behind.  
  
Phil walked up to Garet, stood by his side, and raised his fists.  
  
'You'd be a fool to take these punks on alone. Here, let me help you.'  
  
'And I'd be damned if I didn't, too.' David took his space next to Phil.  
  
'You could never wish to survive, even with a Shadow Master and a Water Guardian by your side. Prepare to face your first major fight!'  
  
The room began spinning, and the walls began crumbling. The Orimali mayor and councilman had summoned a dangerous creature, the Thunder Dragon.  
  
'Hey, watch out!' Phil yelled to Jason. A large bolt of lightning had pierced the roof, and struck within five feet of him. Jason joined the fray, wielding his sword, the Ragnarok. All it took was the holy power of the blade and Jason's fury to destroy the dragon.  
  
'Easier than it looked.' Jason said, pulling the blade from the body of the creature, and putting it back into its sheath. Garet told Rita, Michelle, and the rest of the party to flee, as the city was crumbling. They ran from Orimali, which was slipping into a deep fissure in the earth. This was the second attack from Tolbi, done by two of their spies.  
  
'We're being followed.' Garet said to the party. 'Otherwise they wouldn't have found us so quickly.....'  
  
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	5. Chapter 4

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Chapter Four: JetPilot  
  
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'NOW where are we going?' Michelle griped. The party had been flying in the Shadow Fire since the middle of the night, and the sun was just coming up.  
  
'Be quiet...' Phil said, sighing.  
  
'Hey, who do you think you are, Mr. Goth?'  
  
'Just because you're some divine angel doesn't mean you have to be rude.' Phil said.  
  
'Well put.' Garet added, and the Shadow Fire slowed. They were landing in the middle of a field, somewhere south of the Karagol Sea.  
  
'We're here!' Michelle literally ejected herself from the aircraft, and landed face-first on the ground. 'That really kinda....er, hurt.'  
  
'Well then, Michelle, you should be messing around with my aircraft.' Garet said, exiting through the hole where the seat blasted through. 'That's not gonna be easy to fix...'  
  
'There's corn for miles around, Garet. Are you sure we're close?' Rita asked.  
  
'Well, we should be. There's a farm where our own spies are hiding nearby. We can hide the Shadow Fire there.'  
  
'Aren't you even the slightest bit concerned that we were seen landing?' Jason asked.  
  
'Not really, as we DO have stealth, it IS hazy out, and Tolbi is 20 miles from here.' Garet replied, 'But there IS a chance that they could have watchposts around...so we gotta travel carefully.'  
  
They neared the barn while towing the aircraft at about noon. Garet's co- workers welcomed them and put the Shadow Fire inside the barn for safe- keeping. As they walked away, the barn exploded in a ball of flame. Garet was aghast. More of Tolbi's work...  
  
'You never know when they'll be around...' Phil said, turning to the group. 'We should watch our step...'  
  
'David, you've been quiet. What's up?' Garet said, turning to him.  
  
'Aw, nothing. I just don't have anything to say.' David said, smiling weakly.  
  
'Yeah...that's how it is with everyone around these parts. They're suppressed! And that's the root of all evil.' Garet said.  
  
'Onward march!' Garet said.  
  
About two or three miles in, a beeping noise was heard from Jason's pocket. Jason looked surprised, and he pulled a small electronic device from his pocket. He tinkered with it for several seconds, and a whirring noise could be heard from the west.  
  
'This my friends, is my own little invention. It's the Ragnarok, my own personal hovercraft.This should get us to Tolbi, should it not?'  
  
'Fool! It's 90 degrees out and you made us walk all this way?' Phil snapped angrily.  
  
'Well, at any cost, we should get in. Let's go...' 


	6. Chapter 5

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Chapter Five: Warning  
  
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They pulled up around sunset to the outskirts of Tolbi. They exited the landspeeder to find a resistance force waiting for them.  
  
'An ambush!' Garet said.  
  
'Relax, guys! We have to STAY CALM.' Michelle said, clasping her hands together and charging one of her Light-Element psynergies.  
  
A large beam of light radiated the Tolbi troops, frying them, and allowing further passage. The group continued on in, keeping low profile. Although a man wearing a reaper's outfit and chains (which was Phil) is not very inconspicuous.  
  
'C'mon, get inside!' A man said. He lloked like your average street merchant, but it was really one of Sumera's operatives.  
  
'Chuck, good to see you.' Garet said, shaking hands with Chuck.  
  
'Nice to see you, too. I saw the Shadow Fire leaving Tolbi the other day...nice disguise. Looked like a commuter aircraft on the radar.'  
  
'It took some work, but I made it happen.' Garet said, smiling.  
  
'So what's the plan?' David asked.  
  
'We're going to slowly attack Tolbi. We're a small force, so we MUST take it easy. We'll be crushed otherwise.' Garet responded. 'They killed my city. They killed most of my friends and family. They...killed Jenna. Now they must die.'  
  
'Do you feel that way about the city of Tolbi?' Rita asked.  
  
'Of course I do. They're evil. Evil is bad. It's common logic.' Garet responded, sounding slightly irked.  
  
'But the commonfolk of the city, do you worry about them?' Jason asked.  
  
'No. Even if they are innocent, they still support these leaders. And they deserve the fate that came to Sumera.'  
  
'You're pretty dead-set on that, bucko...' Phil said, laughing. He was standing over in the corner, eyeing the partially opened door carefully. 'Oh...god...'  
  
'AMBUSH!' Phil yelled, and Tolbi troops stormed Chuck's Villa. Bullets flew all around, and there were rushes of Psynergy everywhere. Dark blasts from Phil, coupled with spires of ice from David were enough to finish off the initial attack force. But that wasn't quite enough. Garet had been hit, and was laying in a crumpled heap on the ground. The Tolbi forces had already retreated, but there was little hope for Garet's survival. Chuck, Phil, and Jason lifted Garet onto the bed of palm fronds. He was bleeding heavily, and he was fading slowly. The group was in awe. Fearless leader Garet had fallen...  
  
Michelle cried out several times, trying to revive her fallen comrade with her Revive psynergy. But everytime it looked like Garet would re-surface, he slipped back under, deeper and deeper. It was an uphill climb, with no footholds. The group had to accept one thing. Garet was dead.  
  
--  
  
It was late, near midnight. The group had taken Garet's lifeless body with them as they began their retreat to the remains of Sumera. The Ragnarok brought them to a small field near the town of Vault. This is where they stopped for the night. Jason and David started the campfire, while Phil and Rita pitched the tents. Michelle prepared the food, and when it was done, the party sat around and talked about their once fearless leader, now awaiting proper burial the subsequent morning. They all reflected upon him over the course of an hour or so..and then stopped talking. They reflected on what they cared for most...  
  
(I will go into these flashbacks...)  
  
Phil dreamed of marrying Rita, and how he wanted to stay by her side forever...Rita thought only of Phil, and her family...Michelle cringed at the thought of her old city, Saroberi's destruction. She could only remember the voice of her mother...the pictures they had had longed faded in her memory....David remembered his rejection as a healer by Mia, and how he vowed never to heal again...and Jason remembers the glory of saving his brother back in his hometown...  
  
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	7. Chapter 6

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Chapter Six: Mind's Eye  
  
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Phil was walking alone along the road from Tolbi in the middle of the night. Ever since the falling of Garet, he had separated himself in search of inner peace, which he was too disturbed to see at that time. He knew where he was going, and when he was goin to get there, but he was still blinded...he couldn't think right at that time. Besides seeing his leader bleed to death, another, more beautiful image filled his mind's eye. The lavender haired Rita filled his vision, and he missed her severely. Ever since they were young Adepts had he loved her so much.  
  
Normally, Phil showed a tough, rocky exterior. Rita was his soft spot, and just the fear of having her die was insurmountably large. How two people who are so different love each other so much puzzled their friends, seeing as how Phil would be stereotyped as 'evil or 'satan-worshipper' because of his Dark Psynergies, and Rita would be the golden, ideal child. He was driven from his town by the local church group, claiming he was sending the town to Hell little by little, all due to small accidents around the city. It was never really his fault. Everyone was just too blind to see that he was in fact, trying to prevent these mishappenings. Rita was the only one who ever saw through the church's accusations. She knew Phil for who he really was, a quiet and sweet man. Rita later left town after being accused of being a witch, and headed for Orimali. Phil, however, went south to Kirbia...  
  
But after living on the road for so long, Phil became a shadow of his former self...he was enclosed in a personal shell, one that he couldn't cast aside...the only way for him to set his old fears aside would be to go home and prove he wasn't a creature of evil, he wasn't the bane of human existence. But what he really wanted was the thing that'd help him through all of this. And that was Rita. The only way to get her back to help him would be to prove he was for real...  
  
All the while, he never noticed the truck coming up behind him.  
  
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	8. Chapter 7

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Chapter Seven: For all that is holy...  
  
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I never wanted to be the earth's savior, just a strong link in the chain of events. I am Rita, daughter of Rena, the world's greatest Jupiter Adept. She passed away many years ago, and people say I resemble her. I always have wondered though, why was it that Garet was always over me? And that he mistakenly called me Rena on several occasions? I think it's the male brain -- always thinking about sexual things instead of the real point. Garet was a real card, all right...but... I know what he was doing was...in a weird way... right.  
  
I love Phil and all, but I did realize that I was beginning to love Garet...even if he was an oddly perverted man (I'm 19 for God's sake...) He had his love of his life taken away from him, as now I too share this fate. When I was in the tent with Phil so many shattered starry nights ago, he promised he'd always be there for me...and now, he's gone. Just like that.  
  
I'm feeling very helpless right about now... I'm wishing I had somewhere to go, somewhere I could run from all of this. I could burst out in tears now, except for the fact that I'm sitting and talking with Michelle, Jason and David, the only remaining members of our team. But if something was to change... but nothing will change, and I'm saddened by that.  
  
I went down to the lake, a hundred or so yards from where our campfire was. I sat down by the edge, and went soul-searching. I stripped down and entered the water, and just floated there for several moments, crying. Jason came to see what the sound was, and I had to find a way to cover up, as to not let Jason see me. Too late.  
  
But when I looked up, Jason wasn't looking at me. He had this respect inside for me, a love for me that I wouldn't have realized if this hadn't happened. He didn't want me for superficial reasons...he knew me, somehow, for who I was on the inside. And that is why he came to visit. He thought I was being hurt...? I swam to Jason, and said it was OK for him to look, but he just turned away and shook his head. He said, 'Rita, do you have any self-respect? If you did, you wouldn't be doing this...'  
  
I was shocked at his reply. I decided to shock him by grabbing his leg and pulling him in. Let's just leave it at that...  
  
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	9. Chapter 8

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Chapter Eight: Arms to hold Tight  
  
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Within seconds, I was underwater. Rita was trying her hardest to seduce me, but I would never take advantage of her in times like these. She's had her heart broken, and even though I'd care to be the one to fix it, I don't want to mess her up any more than she is right now. I'm like that, you know? I'm Jason, if you may have already guessed. Rita's a sweet girl and all, but I'm sure this is not the right moment for...you know, that. I don't want to be the kind of guy who leaves her after a one night stand... I tried so hard to leave the water, but her grip was determined, and tight. Suddenly, she let go...and then, as if to psych me out, grabbed hold even tighter.  
  
As she kissed me, and I was trying to get her off me, Michelle came to the water to see what the noises were. Obviously, Rita was quite a loud girl... Michelle put her hands over her eyes and ran...not what she wanted to see. She ran to David, who was at the campfire. He knew the look of horror in her eyes...he had seen them in the eyes of children thorughout Weyard... he chuckled. Michelle, being a Light Adept, was never allowed to know about anything of that nature, being considered an 'immaculate' spirit.  
  
About an hour later, Jason and Rita were washed up on shore together, just laying there, staring at the star-filled sky. It was some time around sunrise, and Rita was breathing a sigh of relief. Never before had she felt the way she did earlier, as if she was being freed inside... and Jason felt like he had waited one million years for that night to come, and even though he felt terrible given the circumstances, he seemed happy, all in all.  
  
Jason hadn't felt this way since the day he saved his brother from a burning house back in New Vale. Just the rush of happiness made him feel so good inside... Rita looked at me and smiled. The look in her eyes was hazy, almost as if she was drifting into sleep just laying here. All was happy in my little world. I... don't want to risk myself any more then I have to though...but for her...anything.  
  
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	10. Chapter 9

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Chapter Nine: Without  
  
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it's my fault/ it's all my fault/ all i wanted was you/ but i had to mess it up so badly/ it's me who's to shame/ it's me who's to blame/ mind lit with feelings of uncertainty/ my heart is in denial and i haven't slept for quite a while/ i don't wanna see any more/ i don't wanna breathe anymore...  
  
Jason woke up on the beach next to Rita. He looked around, confused. What exactly...did he do? What was the ting keeping him from his memories? And why was she just so close? All of his questions would remain unanswered...for the time being. He shook himself back to reality, and stood up. He decided to let Rita sleep, he'd be back, soon enough. The sun was high, it was probably shortly after noon. They had a long night, and Jason was sure David and Michelle had taken off for their homes, giving up. Sure enough, the two were gone when Jason returned to the campsite. They didn't go far though. Jason caught up to them on a mountain trail leading back to Tolbi.  
  
'Jason, go away.' David said. 'We know what you did back there, and we don't want to see you ever again.'  
  
'What have I done?' Jason said, puzzled.  
  
'Did you see Rita this morning?' Michelle said, angrily.  
  
'Erm, I would believe that was her...wait a minute...was it?' Jason said.  
  
His mind was hazy, like he had an awful case of amnesia, or he had been hit over the head with something. Where did Rita go? And why were David and Michelle so angry at him?  
  
'David, let's leave this creep here, and continue towards Tolbi.' Michelle said, with a tone of voice so spiteful and angry, Jason flinched.  
  
'Wait a minute, Michelle. What exactly happened anyway, Jason? Do you have any idea? And don't play dumb. We'll just...show him, Michelle.'  
  
Michelle pulled a short sword from her pack. She made a throat slitting motion. Obviously, they were unhappy campers.  
  
'Guys, I'm deadly serious...' Jason said.  
  
'Are you sure those are the right words to say now? Are you threatening us? Threatening Rita? Tell me, now, punk!' Michelle said, with fire in her eyes.  
  
'I swear it, guys...whatever I did back there, I have zero recollection of. I can barely remember where the hell I am. All I know is that Rita had already gone when I woke up. But WHY!?' Jason said, falling to his knees in tears.  
  
'David, Michelle, go. I don't want you guys to get hurt.' Jason said, in his tearful rage.  
  
'Jason...are you really alright? Do you need us to stay or something?' David said, with a tone of sympathy in his voice that wasn't present minutes ago.  
  
'David! Don't show mercy to this loser. Should we kill him?' Michelle said.  
  
'Michelle, do what you will. I know what Jason has done was wrong, but must we punish him with death? Should we be that harsh?' David said, turning to Michelle.  
  
'Shut your mouth, sissy boy.' Michelle said, raising the blade.  
  
As the blade came down with crushing force over Jason, David careened into Michelle, knocking her over, and causing him to receive the brunt of the slash. Bleeding heavily, he just sat there and waited. He had vowed to Mia, never to heal, even if he himself was dying. He just chuckled as he died, shaking his head in utter disbelief. Michelle was on the ground, but conscious, and unharmed. Her eyes had turned thin and searing, her look positively venomous. She snarled at Jason and picked her sword back up. She stood to her feet, ready to deliver a second killing blow. The moments got longer and further in between. The look on Jason's face was one of determined fear, the look on Michelle's angry and evil. She hovered over him like a plague, she was ready to mark his death day as this one. A lunge out of the shadows sent Michelle to the ground with a staff protruding through her arm. David, in his final blast of energy, sent Michelle a 'thank you' gift. He smiled warmly to Jason, nodded, and closed his eyes.  
  
'Why, you evil, conniving wretch, why? Why did you have to do this? WHY, you evil wretch...' Jason said, shaking his head in disgust. 'You're...not from Nuzei, are you? You aren't the holy child they talked about years ago that healed her whole town... You...you're Tolbian, aren't you!? You're the cause of Garet's, Phil's, David's death...probably Rita's...the entire towns of Sumera and Orimali were decimated... You scum of the planet. You're the most wretched ***** to walk the Earth, you know that, right?'  
  
He stood to his feet, and drew his sword. 'Michelle, I don't know how you've deceive us for so long. That's why they knew where we were.'  
  
'You know...' Michelle said painfully, using her good hand to remove the staff from her arm. She pulled a gun from her bag, stood up, and pointed it at Jason. 'You know far too much for an insolent child. Specifics don't matter. It doesn't matter if you were 40, you're still a little filthy child. And now, you're coming with me.'  
  
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	11. Chapter 10

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Chapter 10: Hold Me Down  
  
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so i guess i must have just been dreaming, when i thought i heard myself say no, and anyway it looks like no one heard me, so here i go.../cuz when youre in the company of strangers, or with the strangers you call friends, you know before you start just how its gonna end --Gin Blossoms, 'Hold Me Down'  
  
'What?' Rita said, turning to Jason. 'You want me to do what?'  
  
'C'mon..I'm bored...' Jason said, returning the glance.  
  
'No, Jason...I don't want to...' Rita said, backing away towards the water.  
  
'But...hey! Watch out!' Jason lunged to grab Rita's hand, but missed. Rita fell from the rock overlooking the ocean into the water, snagging her shirt on a sharp edge. Wholly embarassed, Rita stayed in the water. Jason jumped in right after her, landing a few feet away, making a small splash. He continued to come on to Rita, eventually pulling the both of them underwater. Michelle came by with a flashlight, searching for the underwater pair. She saw Rita surface, gasping for air. Jason surfaced and pulled both back under. Michelle let out a quiet scream, and ran back to camp.  
  
When she arrived, crying, David pulled her over and asked what happened. Michelle explained, and both were suddenly filled with an inane amount of rage. They packed their things up and left. They figured it'd be best to let the two back at the beach work to their own devices...and work things out on their own. They put out the fire, and relied on the moonlight to take them to their next destination, an outpost they had visited called Darawa (on the other side of a large mountain range).  
  
They hadn't made it far by morninglight, the mountain was near non- navigable until daytime -- outcrops cast long shadows, preventing anybody from scaling the mountain. Rita passed a moment after sunrise, telling the two where she was going, and how she had left Jason on the beach. She had stolen his shirt and shorts, and ran all that way on her own. She had a pale, unnerving expression, one of utter fear. She ran into the sunlight, after leaving tears where she had stood...it seemed to David that things didn't go right...  
  
David and Michelle noticed that the sun was directly overhead when Jason arrived, wearing part of his sleeping bag, but still carrying his sword. David was skeptical about Jason's condition, while Michelle was reaching into her travel bag, searching for something.  
  
Jason had a small bump on his forehead from where he hit his head on the beach, and amnesia was noted as a possible occurrence by David. Michelle still had murderous intentions. She had found her sword and already had made a motion as if to kill Jason. David was unhappy with this, as he felt that would be 'pushing the envelope too far' and that justice could be served in fairer ways. Michelle had already began to raise her sword in a 'deathblow' position, and as she brought it down, she struck David, who jumped to protect his friend. David died later, but only after stabbing Michelle with his Mercury Staff. She shrugged off the wound, and continued to hold Jason on the edge of death.  
  
Leading him up the mountain as her hostage, Michelle brought Jason to a special part of Darawa...a part where the influence from Tolbi was strong. Strong in the sense that pwerful leaders gathered here to plot more wanton acts of destruction...and more evil would be inflicted on the world. Pain and suffering seemed to be their motto, but Jason couldn't say anything...he was gagged, and brought to a secret chamber under the main trading post. There, he saw Rita...but in chains, shackled to a chair, and behind glass. Michelle laughed smugly as she shackled Jason to a chair, blindfolded him, and yelled for the gas to be turned on...but slowly.  
  
She walked into a control room, with panels lining the walls. She spoke into a microphone, asking Jason whether or not it'd be him that they would gas. The ultimate sacrifice...  
  
'You have five minutes to make up your mind, or we'll gas the both of you. Think it over...' Michelle said, and broke into a fit of sinister laughter.  
  
She sat back in a chair, and waited...  
  
---  
  
--- 


	12. Chapter 11

---  
  
Chapter 11: Damage Sustained  
  
What are you waiting for, it's just a minute away/ Travel light you might just find yourself there for the day/ What are you waiting for, it's just a mile away/ Following Rita, Following Rita... ---'Following Rita' by Train  
  
5:00...4:59...  
  
Jason was waiting for the end...he knew that if he saved himself, he'd be thrown in prison anyway. He felt sick to him stomach. The slow-acting poison gas was devouring his insides...clock on the wall now read 4:40...Rita made no motion in her chair. Michelle came over the loudspeaker:  
  
'Hey, stupid! Make up your mind!'  
  
Jason had a rush of angst just then...he was pissed off at Michelle, Tolbi...everyone who had wronged him...  
  
4:00...3:59...  
  
'Stupid !@#...you aren't going to save Rita by being quiet!' Michelle said, laughing again.  
  
Rita still didn't move, and Jason was feeling the burn of the poison in his lungs...he was dying, and he couldn't prevent it...  
  
2:24...2:23...2:22  
  
KA-BOOM!  
  
An inferno of fire erupted from the trading post above. Another explosion blew the ceiling off of the underground room. A dark, looming figure cast a massive shadow over the room...and the shape of an airship came out of the darkness. A familiar voice...it couldn't be.  
  
'Are you...?' A weakened Jason choked out.  
  
The man on the ship jumped down, landing in Rita's chamber. He frantically unlocked her shackles, and helped her from the chair. She slumped over his shoulder, unconscious. The man, startled, looked at Rita's eyes. A cold, cloudy haze came into them. Rita had reached her end. The man screamed loudly, and drew his scythe. He began hacking apart the wall that blocked the chamber from Michelle's room, causing a massive crack to form, and the structure began caving in.  
  
'Jason! Get out of here before the place explodes!' the man said, leaping onto a rope ladder that had just started to burn.  
  
'I... I can't move... I can't breathe...let me die! I don't deserve this life...and all the pain I've caused Rita... Just go! Before you both die...' Jason said. 'O true apothecary! Thy poison is quick...with this, I die...' He let his head hang, and drifted off.  
  
On the airship, the man laid Rita down in a room, and left to go fly the ship. He landed in a cornfield, and went into Rita's room to check on her. There, he saw Rita, laying lifeless, laying cold. It seemed to him that she had died...but...she was breathing. Her face became full with color...  
  
And then, he felt the sharp pain of a sword in his back. He turned, and saw the most venomous being alive. Michelle had escaped...and had a vengeance to go with her freedom.  
  
--- 


	13. Chapter 12

---  
  
Chapter 12: Two Hearts Beating  
  
Rita closed her eyes, seeing the sword pierce the stomach of her rescuer. Michelle looked at her with a glance virulent enough to kill...and smirked. The man elbowed Michelle's face, causing her to lose the sword, and also knocking her to the floor. The man pulled the bloody sword from his back, and jabbed it through the base of Michelle's neck. She seized up, and died. Blood stained his hands, he looked at Rita with tears in his eyes. She arose from the bed, put her hands on his wounds, and they closed up...the man was healed. The man backed away, shaking his head.  
  
He said in a low, sad voice 'Rita...I have taken a life. All of which I had stood for long ago has proven itself wrong. I am deeply sorry I cannot be here...I don't want you to be hurt...maybe those people back home were right. Maybe I'm to blamed for everything. I'm the cause of all your pain, Rita.'  
  
'No, Phil, it's not your fault. I love you, Phil. Regardless of what happened here. What you did was fair, and it saved me from losing a person as close to my heart as you. You never needed alcohol to seduce my heart. You never needed clever wordplay and unnecessary advances to get to me. I love you because you're you, Phil. You don't need to throw me into the water to love me. You don't need to inflict terrible pain to let me know how much you love me. Jason had a corrupt way of making me his...and I have paid a price for not fighting him off. I was too stupid, too drunk. I'll never be the same...' She let go of his hands and turned away.  
  
'Rita, I know the pain you have inside is real. He hurt you, we know that. And to get to you, he needed devices outside of his power to get you to sleep with him. He was a cruel bastard...a ruthless, scheming bastard. I know your pain, Rita...when Garet died, you cried so much...I left because I thought you loved him more than I. I didn't want to get in the way.'  
  
'I thought you had died! The locals said that they had found your body on the side of the road, muttering incoherently about...me. How...why are you here? Are you an illusion created to wreak further havoc upon my soul? Are you here to make me wonder? Are you my subconscious desire? I dreamed of you Phil. Jason, Garet...nobody was to take your place. Not even when I was attacked by Jason did I forget how much you loved me. I needed you back.'  
  
'Rita...did he...?'  
  
'I would imagine so...'  
  
'You mean...there was nothing to protect you?'  
  
'I fear not, Phil...'  
  
'Oh, dear God...' Phil held Rita closer. She began to cry...what Jason had done had changed her forever... and Phil knew it. He felt her heart beating, quickly, most likely because of her twisted emotional state.  
  
'Captain Phil?' A voice said from the other side of Rita's door.  
  
'Yes, Pilot?' Phil turned, still holding Rita.  
  
The door opened. 'Permission to fly towards Tolbi?'  
  
'Yes, Pilot Chuck.' Phil said, smiling.  
  
'No...I thought...he was dead back in Tolbi? That means...' Rita said, trailing off.  
  
'Yes, it does. Go out into the main room, he's waiting to see you.'  
  
--- 


	14. Chapter 13

---  
  
Chapter Thirteen: Grandest Reunion  
  
She was silent as the door opened...to the weary, haggard face of Jason. Her hopes shattered, she turned back to Phil and looked away. Why was he there? How did he get there? Why couldn't Garet be sitting before her? WHY was the bastard who hurt her so badly still living? She slammed her fist into the door. She shook away her tears, and ran back into her room.  
  
'Er...how the hell did you get here? You should be dead...you crooked rat.' Phil said. 'But...I...er,' Jason said, stumbling, looking for words to say. 'I'm...not Jason.'  
  
'WHAT did you say?' Phil said, in shock.  
  
'Heh... go back into the room behind you. Pull off that Michelle's mask...'  
  
'Crooked witch!' Phil yelled, pulling off Michelle's mask to reveal Jason, now dead.  
  
'Phil! I should've known! He'd dress up as Michelle...so I wouldn't get suspicious...'  
  
'It was Jason back at the lake, right?' Phil said, slightly perplexed.  
  
'Er...most definitely yes...Michelle...er...isn't 'equipped'...' Rita said, blushing.  
  
'Then...who is that in the control room?' Phil turned around quickly.  
  
Over the intercom system, Michelle laughed - She had full control over the Shadow Fire...and was planning on a world tour of destruction. She had the places in a neat list by the control panel. Kirbia would be their first destination, and everyone would think it was Phil, raining death upon their town. Rita let out a hushed cry, but Phil just pulled her closer to him, letting her cry on his shoulder. He had changed over the past weeks: He had lost his reaper's uniform, and become much gentler...there were no spikes whatsoever on his robe, just the velvety feel of the fabric that Rita snuggled up to.  
  
Explosion after explosion occurred, as Michelle fired the first missiles into the town of Kirbia. Fire was all around, and the local townsfolk were lying burnt in the streets. Pandemonium ensued when the town went up in a massive fireball. It was all ashes from there on in. Phil looked out the port window, and saw the whole thing happen. This was what happened to Sumera...this is why Garet wanted to fight. THIS was why he couldn't let Rita see it. Her status was already unstable; he feared she'd just break down if he let her see this.  
  
Michelle came over the intercom again. 'Hahaha! Light Adepts possess one ery devastating power...soul absorption!' The intercom clicked off, and Michelle was seen on the deck of the airship, holding her staff high above her head, absorbing the wayward souls of the recently deceased. Her hair turned a violent crimson, her skin began to darken, and her clothes became less of those of an angel...she was turning into a deity. A deity of death...but she didn't have enough power.  
  
Power is what she craved, so she returned to the ship's control deck. Next on the list...New Vale. More explosions, more souls being taken...more power...Michelle had grown significantly over the course of 24 hours. Her height was even with Phil's, and he stood a towering 6'4", and her body was an enlarged version of Rita's. She had become a deity in a day.  
  
Levitating on deck, brimming with power, she floated outside of the ship. She fired a blast of soul energy at the Shadow Fire, setting it ablaze, and crashing to the ground. Rita and Phil had one option to escape...  
  
'Ready, Phil?'  
  
'JUMP!'  
  
A sinister cackling was all they heard, as the sky glowed red with flame. Michelle had sent most of Weyard into ruin. All that was left now...was for her to finish the job.  
  
--- 


	15. Chapter 14

---  
  
Chapter Fourteen: Hell's Light  
  
It was cold, but there was a strange warmth in the air. The air itself felt singed by a flame...a flame of death. Rita and Phil woke up in a cornfield, and stood up to see the sky a blood red. Nothing was left. No life, no sound...nothing stirred. They were the only ones alive...or so they thought. The smoldering remains of the Shadow Fire could be seen about four hundred yards away. Rita inspected the corn...it was all withered, dead. Michelle had left the world dead...  
  
Rita felt herself getting weaker, and stumbled into Phil's arms. He picked her up, and carried her back to the Shadow Fire. A dark aura emanated from his palms...he was healing Rita...rebuilding the Shadow Fire. Although you'd think the Dark Adept was built to kill...he saved Rita at whim. He carried her into the healed aircraft, and laid her on a bed. He looked out the front window, and started the ship. They were flying in seconds. Rita was still silent. She was conscious, but didn't want to move. She was in pain all over...and now matter how powerful the healing Phil had administered was, she would still ache from the impact.  
  
Michelle, miles away, was standing atop a tall mountain, looking down upon her creation, a ruined world. But there was still more to conquer, still more to destroy... She hated the fact she wasn't quite powerful enough yet. After expending most of her energy, she grew tired...the sun was setting in the darkened sky. She found repose at the summit of the mountain, in a small cave. Skeletons of the dead filled the cave, it was obvious that this was a 'shelter' during her attacks. Futile, their efforts were. She kicked aside a skull and laid down in an alcove in the wall.  
  
The night sky was a crimson black, the moon shrouded from ashes scattered by the wind. The Shadow Fire flew through the haze, overlooking the world beneath it. Civilization on this side of the Weyard was at a standstill. Cities were smoldering, and the once great lighthouse created by Babi was still standing. Phil cursed under his breath. It was ironic how a symbol of greed was still standing tall, even now. Phil slammed his fist on the desk where papers were scattered about. A small picture of Jenna was among the papers, its glass cover broken. Phil grimaced in internal pain. Memories of Garet flooded back to him... his leader, his friend, even if he had been a jerk to him at points.  
  
Rita stretched out on the bed, turning over once or twice. She wanted to get up... but something inside kept her there. She knew, somehow, that something was going to happen... but what, exactly? There could be nothing that could surpass the cataclysm that had occurred that day. She turned, and caugh a glimpse of of a shadow passing in the hallway. Somebody, not Phil, was onboard. She sat up and pressed her back against the wall. Her forehead flashed in a heated pain, and she passed out.  
  
--- 


	16. Chapter 15

---  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Succumb to Self  
  
---  
  
Deep inside, I'm on my own, I can't see straight... --Incubus, 'Deep Inside'  
  
'Where the hell am I?' Rita said, waking up, surrounded by crimson red machinery. She touched a pipe, rubbed her fingers together...was that blood on the walls? She wiped her hands on the ground. The ground was covered in broken glass...  
  
'Where the !@#$ am I, anyway?' She yelled loudly, and noticed a shadow coming towards her. She screamed, and backed slowly away from the shadow.  
  
'I will not hurt you...you are already dead. You have no purpose. You shall live inside this realm of fear, hatred, and death forever. For...that is your destiny, Rita. You do not deserve the gift of life...nor do you deserve to give it to others.'  
  
She felt a sharp, digging pain inside. The pain fleeted...  
  
'Let me go!' She yelled, as the phantasm began to overtake her.  
  
'Relax, young one...there is nothing more on this Earth to see, do, or hear. It is time for you to end your travels. Go home, wait for the final judgment. When you are pure again, the pain I have bequeathed upon you will return.'  
  
'No! I can't let you do this! Now tell me! TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!!!' She screamed, pounding on the ground.  
  
'I am, what I am, and that is all that matters. You do not own me!'  
  
The phantasm attacked Rita, pinning her to one of the machines. A scream, then quiet.  
  
She lay amongst the broken glass, bloodied, unconscious. She should've never been part of this mission. She began to look inside her memory, see what brought her here in the first place...  
  
**  
  
'Phil...I really don't want to come along...'  
  
'But Rita, it'll be fun! We'll fight side by side! We'll be heroes!' Phil said, happily.  
  
'Er...OK...'  
  
**  
  
Was it worth all the pain? Was it really worth all the horrible sights, all the horrific fights...Jason? And now...this?  
  
'I have no place in this world, you say?' Rita said, waking up in a trance- like state. A rush of anger, then the walls all came down. The room exploded in a massive spire of light, destroying the bloody machinery, the phantasm as well. As the light poured through her, she screamed again, loudly...  
  
Pictures, faces...all of her memories were even more prominent in this light. All of the good times she had as a child, playing in a sandbox wth Phil when she was five...graduating high school, just being with her friends...  
  
She turned around, a spire of darkness had emerged...and with it...the memories of bad and awful things...the night Jason spent with her, the destruction of Sumera and Vale, all of the unbelievably horrific things that had happened.  
  
A small, echoing voice emerged. 'You are...nothing.'  
  
...He limped to her room. It was empty.  
  
--- 


	17. Chapter 16

---  
  
Chapter Sixteen: Free  
  
He sat outside her door, waiting for her to return, but nothing changed for several moments. Fear overcame Phil, and he slammed the wall with his fist. Was his life just an illusion? Was any of this really happening? Was it worth going along with Garet on the second day? He shook off his fright, and punched the wall again. His hand went into the liquid-like wall, and he realized...he wasn't anywhere near the Shadow Fire. Stepping through the wall, he entered a 'limbo' like world, and saw the bodies of David, Garet, and Jason...  
  
'Phil?' ... a ghost-like figure came up behind Phil. 'Jason... you bastard.' Phil turned around to see the slightly mutilated face of Jason.  
  
'I came to repent my sins to you, Phil. I know what I did cost me everything...it was worth it, I admit, but it was wrong. All the suffering, all the pain...'  
  
'Shut up, Jason. You know what you did, and that's why you're here, dead right now.  
  
'Don't take it too harshly, Jason...' The spirit-like form of David came up behind Jason. 'He's hurting because he's lost his love...Rita.'  
  
'What did you !@#$s do to her?! Where the !@#$ is she?' Phil lost it then. They were sneering at him, laughing with their cold stares. '!@#$ IT! THIS WORLD IS NO LONGER WORTH MY TIME! THERE'S NOTHING LEFT AND NOWHERE TO RUN TO! I CAN'T DEAL WITH MYSELF ANYMORE! THIS IT IT!' He yelled, and ran towards the end of the world, it was a crimson waterfall. He could hear the screams of Michelle's victims at the bottom, but he could do nothing.  
  
He then jumped, but froze in midair. Garet's spirit held him back. The power of a leader flowed through Phil, energizing him, making him stronger....  
  
And he woke up, next to Rita, and she had her arms around him. It was night, and it was silent outside. She cuddled closer to him, and smiled. He kissed her forehead, held her close, and fell back asleep.  
  
--- 


	18. Chapter 17

---  
  
Chapter Seventeen: Shadow's Fear, Shadow's Heart  
  
The finale chapter, by the way  
  
She woke up next to Phil that morning, wondering what had happened that night. So delusional, so confused. She shook her head as she looked outside, putting on her shirt and skirt. She walked over to the window, the sky...was blue. Michelle was nowhere to be seen...  
  
A familiar song ran through her head, and the last line rang for several seconds...  
  
'...As I turned to sand, you took me by the hand, and declared, that love prevails over all...' (before you ask, it's the last line of the chorus in System of a Down's 'Ego Brain')  
  
He had saved her, like she had saved him...Michelle was being fought off by their subconscious bond.  
  
Lying in the sand, Michelle stirred. Her plans has failed. She had lost her spirit energy, she felt weak inside. A large gash leaked blood, it was clotted somehow overnight. She couldn't move her legs, they felt broken, as if she had fallen miles and miles...she never saw the demonic figure that took her to Hell...  
  
'So...I wonder...what's next for us?' Rita said, sitting with Phil at the helm of the Shadow Fire.  
  
'It won't be difficult, now...look outside, Rita.' Phil said, gesturing towards the window.  
  
A revolt was in progress on the streets of Tolbi. Suppressed people took to violent measures to overthrow the vicious reign of Iodem and his accomplices. They weren't blind after the attacks all over the world. They had lost so much, they had lost their families, jobs, everything, all for some stupid cause...it never came to be. The streets erupted in a blaze of napalm, you could hear the screams of the Tolbians, dying in mortifying pain. Skeletons once again lined the streets. There would be no more pain.  
  
Iodem laughed in his office...gasped, and fell dead. A knife-wielding assailant, from a distant land had felled the vicious leader. Then...it began again.  
  
Tolbi was never the true root of the world's evil.  
  
Thirteen years later...  
  
Rita and Phil just sat on a swing outside their home in Mikasalla. Their daughter, born shortly after the incidents thirteen years before, had just been granted her Psynergetic powers...and was showing the grandest of prowess. Her parents, of course, were still some of the most powerful Adepts of their Clan, and this is where she drew her power. Her parents had grown up and matured since those days, they were now in their early thirties...she never had a younger sibling, and was angered at her parents for thier newfound want for another child...  
  
A telegram came for Sara, from the town of Contigo...telling what came next...  
  
[END OF SHADOW FIRE 1]  
  
Expect the sequel sometime over this fall. 


End file.
